The present invention relates generally to functional wearing apparel, and more particularly to a detachable sailing jacket useful in providing ballast or trim weight for improved operation of a sailboat.
In competitive sailing it is incumbent on the sailor of a sailboat to obtain maximum performance from his craft. This is particularly true in one-design competition, wherein all of the competing boats are identical in sail area and hull design and only the skill of the sailor remains as a variable factor.
One method of improving the efficiency of a sailboat is to keep the sail as erect as possible into the wind. To this end, in smaller sized one-design sailboats the sailor may lean out away from the deck in a direction which tends to bring the sail upright, thereby compensating for at least a portion of the heeling effect of the wind. This technique is particularly advantageous when sailing windward, although experienced sailors find the technique useful at all points of sail.
In certain sailing situations, particularly when the wind is blowing strong, it is desirable to provide more compensating force on the sail than is available from the sailor's body weight. This additional compensation is obtained by the sailor carrying on his person one or more additional weights which compliment his body weight. Under International Yacht Racing Union (I.Y.R.U.) rules governing competitive sailboat racing the additional weight which may be thus carried is limited to a maximum of 20 kiolgrams, including a sailor's clothes and equipment, subject to modification for individual classes and designs of sailboats. For example in the Laser class of sailboat the maximum weight which may be carried by the sailor is 11 kilograms, or approximately 24 pounds. Allowing approximately 8.5 pounds for typical clothing, it follows that approximately 15.5 pounds or 7 kilograms may be carried as optional ballast or trim weight.
Various fixed-weight vests and belts have been proposed for this purpose which have had the disadvantage of requiring the sailor to decide in advance of starting the race whether to carry addtional weight. In the event that the additional weight was not required for the race the performance of the boat was unnecessarily handicapped by the presence of the useless trim ballast.
One attempt to overcoming this limitation involved a jacket-like garment worn by the sailor which contained a plurality of pockets in which plastic bottles or containers were contained. To obtain additional trim weight for the race the sailor could fill the bottles with water. While this did provide a controllable trim ballast, the resulting jacket configuration was undesirably bulky, both in its weighted and unweighted states.
Another attempt at obtaining additional ballast or trim weight involved the use of multiple layers of clothing such as sweatshirts or T-shirts which could be soaked with water. Not only did these not provide a predictable increase in trim weight, but they were also hard to put on and take off, making them dangerous in the event of the sailor falling overboard. Furthermore, because of their bulk they tended to interfere with the sailor in his operation of the sailboat.
Thus, a need has existed for a sailing jacket for competitve sailing which is compact so as to allow maximum freedom of movement to a sailor, and which can be conveniently and quickly converted from a lightweight garment to a garment having a predictable weight when sailing conditions require.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved sailing jacket for competitive sailing.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a new and improved sailing jacket for competition sailing which provides a controlled and predetermined weight.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved sailing jacket for competition sailing which can be quickly and easily put on and taken off.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved sailing jacket for competition sailing which is lightweight and compact so as not to interfere with the movements of its user.